Materials Science Students in Select Company

Southern has joined a small but select group of schools in New England – and is one
of only about six dozen internationally – which have established a university chapter
of the Materials Research Society (MRS), an organization that seeks to foster discussion and interest among students
and faculty in the various materials disciplines.

Carol Jenkins and Melissa Cruz, who are seniors pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree
in physics recently received a certificate to mark Southern's participation within
MRS. Both students are in the university's new engineering concentration within the
Physics Department. Jenkins serves as president of the chapter, which currently has 10 members. Cruz
is the vice president.

Southern joins six other colleges and universities in New England -- University of
Connecticut; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Boston University; Northeastern
University; University of Massachusetts, Lowell; and the Franklin W. Olin College
of Engineering. It was among eight schools to have added a chapter worldwide within
the last year.

"This unique network provides a chance to compare notes on recent activities and brainstorm
with other students on new projects and issues of common concern," says Lorri Smiley,
MRS professional services and awards coordinator. "As a recently added chapter, Southern
now has the opportunity to connect with different regions from around the globe to
maximize positive impact for materials research worldwide."

Materials science is a discipline that includes the creation of technologically-advanced
items, ranging from computer chips to biological implants. Southern established a
joint materials science center with Yale University about seven years ago. The center
is designed to offer more advanced research opportunities for students seeking to
enter the scientific research field, as well as to enhance the education of future
science teachers.

The university also hosts the Connecticut State University Center for Nanotechnology.
The center includes specialized equipment, including a state-of-the-art Scanning Electron
Microscope, which uses electrons to image materials on the atomic scale.

Christine Broadbridge, chairwoman of the Physics Department, says that participation in the MRS will open
even more doors to students wishing to pursue materials science. As an example, both
Cruz and Jenkins also were among a group of Southern physics students who presented
a poster at a recent MRS conference. The poster focused on carbon nanotubes.

"It is certainly not the norm to have undergraduate students presenting at conferences
at the international level," Broadbridge says. "That is a quite a feather in the cap
of these students, as well as for Southern. Being able to put that on their resume
is going to give them an edge when it comes time to apply to graduate school or for
a job in the materials science field."